A couple of decades back, I helped a large company develop and launch a course on creativity and innovation. Our classes ran about 24 people, and in the first session, we asked for a show of hands of the people who were creative. Usually, we got two or three hands. Sometimes, we didn’t get any. For whatever reason » Read More
Category: Better Writing
Better Writing: Make Your Writing Session More Productive with a Startup Ritual
Most of my clients write their books while they’re also working full-time. They have families and other social relationships and things that they like to do for fun. It’s hard to squeeze writing time into their already-crammed schedules. They must get the most from every writing session. A startup ritual helps them » Read More
4 Questions to Ask Before You Write a Word
It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a blog post or a book or a sales letter or an email. It’s a good idea to think before you write. Here are four questions to ask before you write a word. Who Will Read This? Good writing starts with knowing the reader. Describe a real person who will read your » Read More
Better Writing: How to Help Your Brain Get Great Ideas
Graham Wallas is the sort of person who makes you realize how little you’ve accomplished. He wrote several books on social psychology. The best known of those is Human Nature in Politics. He was a cofounder of the London School of Economics. Then, in 1926, he wrote The Art of Thought. Chapter 4 in that book describes » Read More
Better Writing: 3 Things that Make Writing Boring and How to Fix Them
We’ve all read boring writing. If you’re tired from a long day or if you didn’t get enough sleep last night, you may nod off in the middle. You may take a lot of breaks when the writing is boring. You get up to make a sandwich. You take a break to check on whether your plants are growing. You do a quick » Read More